Through The Lens

4. Tell us about your best ever day shooting.

My best day shooting by a mile is when I went over to Chiba, Japan, to support Matt Hall Racing at the Red Bull Air Race. It was so special because I’d grown up watching the races on TV and had never had the opportunity to see it in real life. On the first of the free practice days, I had the opportunity to venture over to the racetrack and capture the action. On arrival, I was greeted to an empty beach as the track was not open to the public. I ventured up and down the beach freely, seeking the best vantage point to shoot the action. After the first free practice session was over, I met up with one of the official Red Bull photographers. We spoke for a bit and then he mentioned that he had to head off to the marina to jump on a boat in order to shoot the next practice session from the water. He generously offered a spot on the boat to me, where I had a once in a lifetime experience watching the race from the water. The lighting was perfect that afternoon and I came away with plenty of good photos.

5. You’ve got to choose your best shot ever. What is it and why?

As controversial as it may sound, I don’t have a favourite shot. Each shot is unique in its own way, having a meaningful and memorable story attached. These tend to be those that have taken a lot of effort to capture.

6. What’s your best tip for anyone starting out in aviation photography?

It’s tough, as different people will be attracted to aviation photography for different reasons. However, my best advice is to make sure you’re doing it for the right reason! I’ve seen people doing it for reasons such as money and followers. You will struggle to find sustenance from a hobby that relies on a return, so make sure you’re enjoying aviation photography whether it be for the people, aircraft or photography!

7. Tell us about your gear.

I’m one of those photographers that is lucky enough to say that they shoot with their dream set-up. For me, that is a Nikon D850 body paired with the Sigma 100-400mm and Nikon 24-70mm lenses. The Nikon D850 is only a recent acquisition, being that I bought it in April this year. Before that, I used the Nikon D7200, which served me well for two years. It currently is used as a back up body. Both cameras are perfect for aviation photography, being versatile in all conditions to capture the vivid details that define my style.

8. We’ve all got our own style; tell us about yours.

My style is derived from an appreciation for photography as an art form. When I initially started photographing aircraft in 2016, I lacked a creative edge. However, in 2017 I began studying photography at school. This carried through until my final year of high school in 2019. Being able to interpret an image and understand the key components required to create a unique composition has allowed me to look for unconventional angles of aircraft. I will sometimes go back to my roots of what some aviation photographers call being a ‘Jetphotos’ photographer, but I always find enjoyment in challenging myself to come up with a unique composition.

9. Any quirks to how or what you shoot i.e. special interests or passions, and why?

Close ups, incorporating elements of nature or man-made structures in the foreground or panning are some of the things I like to do on a normal day shooting. I always like shooting from Qantas Drive in Sydney when runway 16 is active, as you can get really close and creative with your shots. Again, I’d say that this is my creative mind shining through.

10. We’ve all done it – missed the prefect shot. Tell us about the time you missed what could have been the best shot ever. What happened?

I’ve been particularly unlucky with missing prominent movements at Avalon Airshow, which included being a minute too late for the 747 in 2019 and leaving the show early in 2017 before Australia’s first F-35 rocked up unannounced. However, the worst feeling is committing to a spot and it not working out due to light or a last-minute runway change. Therefore, I will always try to make the best judgement based on all the knowledge I have at the time to eliminate the chances of this happening.

11. What’s a day at an air show look like for you?

Apart from missing F-35s and 747s, a day at the air show is normally very busy for me. As a previous photographer for MHR, I’ve had the opportunity to follow the team around to a few air shows.

A day at an air show with MHR is full on. I’ll follow Matt around for most of the day capturing his actions, managing the social media and editing photos. Because of this, I have very little time to capture other displays (I normally skip lunch on these days due to the amount of time it takes to line up and buy food!). If I’m at an air show as a spectator, I’ll plan the day around seeing the most prominent displays. In-between these displays it’s good to walk around and look at some of the static displays!

12. Photo editing – love it or loath it?

I love photo editing! I’m a big believer that as a photographer, editing is an essential tool and it should be utilised to your advantage I’m not saying that I rely on it to save all my photos, but it certainly helps add that final ‘wow factor’ to my images. I’ll always try to keep my edits as close to natural as possible and not go overboard. I use Adobe Lightroom Classic and Adobe Photoshop 2020. I’ll focus on selective editing in Lightroom, applying the brush, gradient and vignette tool to focus the light on the subject. Lighting is a key component to making my images pop. Whether it’s amplifying the source and direction of light or enhancing the shadows.